Liquid-level-gauging means



, oct. s 192e. y 1,602,063

D. T. WILLIAMS LIQUID LEVEL GAUGING MEANS WITNESS A TTUIMEY.

1,602,063 D. T. wlLLlAMs LIQUID LEVEL GAUGING ME'ANS File June 27, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 5 1926.

lum/Ton,

BQW. 'Mio-ms L ATORNEY Patented @et 5, 1926.

UNITED STATE DAVID Tl VTLLIAMS, F PATERSON, NEW JERSEY.

Application filed June 27,

1192,31 sum1 No, 645,165.

rThis invention relates toA devices for use and the improved gauging apparatus partly in determining the amount of liquid in a tank, and particularly to devices for determining the amount oi' liquid in tanks of the movable class, as the water-tanks oi' locomotive tenders. The means. usually employed for thisl purpose inthe water-tanks of loco:- inot-ive tenders consists oli a two-.armed lever lulcrumed on a longitudinal axis in one ot c the two 4i'orwardly projecting extensions of the tank and having a gauging rod pivotedr toits forward or shorter arm and extend ing up through the top or" the tank and a float attached to lts other or longer arm,

22S which reaches transversely ofv and inthe bodj7 part of the tank.V 0n account of the internal bracingk means of the tank it' is p diicult to install this, mechanism; and, besides the objection that the gauging rod at all times projects from the tank, in the way,

there is the. objection that the water is always i'ree to be ejected yin considerable volume at the outlet Jor the `gauging rod, due to the surging about thereof in the ytank in the stopping and starting and sidewise moveients or' the tender. Other devices have been proposed and used, butif they are without these 'faults they are unsatisfactory in other respects, as being expensive to manufacture and install, unreliable for accurately gang;

ing,` the water-level on account, for example, of efforts to seal the outlet for the gauging; rod,ror as requiring undue attention to keep them lubricated and otherwise in proper working order.

The object ot this invention is to provide an apparatus for use in gauging the quantity of liquid in tanks, and especially liquid tanks of the moving class, by which the attendant can quickly and at all times reliably determine the liquid-level in the tank; which shall be substantial, durable and inexpensive to manufacture and require no lubrication and the minimum ot attention and effort to keep lit in proper working` order; which shall be of such construction as not topermit the liquid to be ejected from the tank or the gauging element to be disturbed "or injured. by the surging'about of the liquid and so that lwhen not in use said element will be housed and out of the way; and which may be itted to any tank by very simple operations and regardless of the' depthof the tank.

in elevation and partly in section;

Fig. 2 is. a plan of the apparatus;

Fig, 3 is a horizontal section on line. 353 Fig.; l, the plunger being omitted; fand Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section on line. 4 4, Fig.v

a designates the tan-k. Theportion shown i would in the case of a locomotive tender be as usual one of the two forward extensions thereof, whereby the gauging means illustrated. will be in convenient reach ofthe nreman. i

In the embodiment shown by way-of example the top wall a of the tank has an opening b formed therein for the reception oi the structure embodying my invention.

In this opening is fitted a. casingwhich guides the gauging` meansin its up and down movement substantially rectilineallyl and also Vprotects it from the surging of the water in thetank, This casing is constructed as follows: There is a head 0 having an exteriorflange by which the head is, secured by bolts c on the top wall a oi the tank, covering its openingl Z2.. This head is invertedfcup-shaped, its depending wallc2 being internally threaded, and it'has central bore c3 and avcounter-bore c4, the latter being provided with' a coarse thread and formed with a preferably conical seat c5; the bore c3 is formed in a central depending boss c6 (thus, in effect, a liange) whose function will appear, Into the threading of wall V02 is screwed the upper end of a tubular shell CZ. An annular member e, having va flange e Vby which it is secured by bolts ,f to the bottom wallY a2 of thetank, forms a telescopic joint with the lower end of .shell CZ, which is preferably the received one ot the two members d c. This joint permits the casing to be fitted to tanks varying in the Spacing' between. their t0n and bottom Walls; the it is a loose one, with some space g be. tween members d and e, usoY as to permit ready assembling thereof and incidentally allow the water -in the tank vto enter," the casing, and te-stay the lower end of member l member e .has radialv set-screws ,e2 tapped into -it and 'arranged to bind inwardly againstl the ormer, Openings or ports e3 are formed in member e to insure admission of the water to the casing. The parts c,

ico

l In the drawings, Y

' Fie 1, ,Shows the task 1n 'Verwal' Section d and e may all 'be termed of @ast-iron, It 1111,

will be observed that the casing is closed to admission of liquid eXcept at its bottom portion.

The gauging element is a plunger preferably constructed as follows: /t is a float, being here shown as a cylindrical block of, say, balsa wood having deposited thereon, or otherwise formed to encase the block, a metallic (as copper) coating zf, and z' is a bolt which eXtends vertically through the ioat and has between its head and the top of the float a bushing y' and one or more spacers 7c, the lower threaded end of the bolt having nuts Z screwed thereon to clamp the float rigidly between them and the bushing, and the nuts being preferably housed in a bottom recess 7b2 of the float. lThe head of the bolt is circumferentially grooved, as at z, and fitted over it is the lower end of a light (as aluminum) tube m, which is rigidly jointed to the bolt head and sealed at its lower end by having itswall spun or otherwise impressed into the grooves z". This tube is provided with a scale (as 6 in., l ft., etc.) reading downwardly, and it projects up through the bore 03 of head C. The tube and float are confined by bore c3 and the casing, respectively, against undue lateral lost motion, but their fit with respect to these parts is suoli that the plunger can rise and fall with perfect freedom. On the upper end of the tube'is swivelled akeeper for holding the plunger depressed when not in use, thus: ln the tube is fitted a plug a secured therein by being circumferentially grooved, as at a', and having the wall of the tube spun or otherwise impressed into its grooves, and through a central hole in the plug extends the swivel pin 0 (enlarged or headed below the plug) of an externally threaded cup-shaped keeper p which may be screwed into the counter-bore c4, the keeper being thus adapted to bear against the seat c5 (to prevent escape of liquid) and having a cross-rib p forming a grip for turning it. rlhe swivel hole in the k-eeper is large enough to insure perfect freedom thereof to turn, and in order to prevent accumulation of liquid in the tube of the plunger which would alter its displacement and which might otherwise take place through this hole on account of the motion of the liquid in the casing when the tank is full, a sealing disk g is preferably soldered in the tube before the plug a is fitted thereto.

Normally the plunger' is held depressed by the keeper being engaged with the head 0, in the present example by being screwed into the same. lVhen the level of the water in the tank is to be gauged the keeper is released, allowing the plungerto rise and a reading of the level to be taken, whereupon the plunger is pushed down and the keeper again secured to head c. Partly because the bore c3 is small, and also because of the depending flange 06, any splashing of the water out through said bore is prevented when a reading is being taken; and when the plunger is depressed the water is prevented from escaping by the keeper, which may be screwed against the seat c5. rhus without requiring the use of packing or glands a substantially liquid-tight construction results.

The liquid having access to the casing only at the bottom the surging thereof in the tank does not affect'the plunger, which is thus substantially free of any influence of the liquid to interfere with its vertical movement or injure it. f

If there is any slight discrepancy in the calculated displacement of the plunger when its parts are assembled compensation may be effected by increasing or decreasing the number of the spacers 73 so as to alter the elevation of the scale-tube m relatively to the float.

Should it be desired to gauge levels of the liquid so near the bottom wall a2 as to require the plunger to reach below the bottom wall the member e may be constructed as a pot which depends through an opening o" in said wall. To allow for cleaning this pot, as if sediment accumulates therein, it is constructed thus: Its depending portion s has its lower end tapered so as to produce a tapered inner surface 8 offering unstable support to sediment accumulating therein. Into the lower end ofthe pot is screwed a closure consisting of a valve-casing t having a plug-valve u which may be turned to bring its port u into registry with or so as to close port t of the valve-casing. Grdinarily, opening the valve will result in cleaning the pot, the sediment passing out with the water; but if such sediment should form a hardened mass, which would Inore or less seal the opening, the closure as a whole may be removed to allow access to the interior of the pot. In order, in the latter case, to cut off the downward rush of water that would ensue the plunger may be adapted to seat on a gasket fu, when it then acts as a valve. At w in the gasket, or elsewhere, there may be a small vent to allow the pressures above and below the gasket to become equalized after the closure has been replaced, thus to permit the closure again to function.

Having` thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. ln combination, a liquid tank having a top wall provided with an opening, a casing arranged in the tank in registry with the opening and including telescoped members respectively carried by the top and bottom walls of the tank and one having a loose fit in the other and means to bind the upper member to the lower member against lateral movement, and a float-plunger in the casing confined thereby to substantially recrtilineal up and down movement and adaptmember, and a float-plunger inthe casi ig confined to substantially rectilineal up and down movement and guided 1n 4such movement by said members and adapted to pro? trude from the top thereoiLl through the lirst opening.

3. In combination, a hollow liquid-con-v taining structurel having a top wall provided with an opening, a float-plunger arranged to protrude up through said opening and subj ct to the displacing influence of the liquid in said structure, said structure having means to guide the plunger in a substantially rectilineal course, and a keeper swivelled to the plunger and adapted to be dis-y connectively attached to said top wall and thereupon hold the plunger depressed.

4. In combination, a liquid tank having a top wall provided with an opening, a casing arranged in the tank and including' a head removablyv liked in the opening, a depending shell detachably secured to the head and means, lined to the bottom wall of the tank and into engagement with which the shell is enterable by a downward movement thereof, to laterally support the lower end of the shell, and an up-anddown movable float-plunger including a. ioat and an upstanding stem respectively guided by the shell and head, the casing having means to pass liquid from the tank into the casing and vice versa.

5. In combination, a liquid tank having a top wall provided ith an opening, a casing an opening permitting pasn including a hollow structure removably secured in said opening and depending from said top wall and means lined to the bottom wall of the tank and into engagement with which said structure is enterable by a downward movement thereof, for laterally supporting the lower end of said hollow struc-ture, said casing having restricted means to pass liquid from the tank into the casing and vice versa, and a float-plunger in the casing confined thereby to substantially rectilineal up and down movement and adapted to protrude from the top thereof through said opening.

6. In combination, a liquid tank having a top wall provided with an opening, a` casing arranged in the tankV and including a head removably secured in said opening and having a vertical bore therethrough, a member removably Secured to the bottom of the tank and a tubular shell having separable telescoping connections with both said head and said member, and a float-plunger in the casing confined thereby to substantially-rectilinealup and down movement and adapted to protrude up through said bore, said casing having restricted means to pass liquid from the tank into the casing' and vice versa.

7. In combination, with a fixed structure including a liquid tank having a top wall provided with an opening and having in its bottom wall a pot-extension in'registry lwith said opening, an up-and-down movable floatplunger arranged to project up through said opening and subject to the displacing inl'iuence of the liquid in the tank and adapted on downward movement to be received by the pot-extension, said pot-extension having near its lower end an interior circumferential valve seat and being internally tapered downward below said seat and having at its bottom a normally closed outlet and the rplunger being adapted on opening of the outlet to rest on said seat and check the n liquid from escaping therethrough. Y

In testimony whereof I aHiX my signature.

DAVID T. WILLIAMS 

